Bahl & Gaynor Inc. Sells 24,286 Shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC)

Bahl & Gaynor Inc. reduced its stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. (NYSE:MMC) by 1.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,904,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after selling 24,286 shares during the quarter. Marsh & McLennan Companies comprises approximately 2.1% of Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 11th largest position. Bahl & Gaynor Inc.’s holdings in Marsh & McLennan Companies were worth $404,562,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. grew its stake in Marsh & McLennan Companies by 85.7% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 130 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Catalyst Capital Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Financial Life Planners purchased a new position in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Sierra Ocean LLC bought a new stake in shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in the fourth quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Albion Financial Group UT bought a new position in Marsh & McLennan Companies during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 87.99% of the company’s stock.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Trading Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE MMC opened at $239.53 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $221.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $222.97. Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $196.17 and a fifty-two week high of $239.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.44, a quick ratio of 1.13 and a current ratio of 1.13. The company has a market cap of $117.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.25, a PEG ratio of 2.70 and a beta of 0.96.

Marsh & McLennan Companies (NYSE:MMC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, January 30th. The financial services provider reported $1.87 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.75 by $0.12. Marsh & McLennan Companies had a return on equity of 32.60% and a net margin of 16.60%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Marsh & McLennan Companies, Inc. will post 9.61 earnings per share for the current year.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 14th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, January 30th were paid a $0.815 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, January 30th. This represents a $3.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.36%. Marsh & McLennan Companies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.80%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have issued reports on MMC shares. Barclays lifted their price objective on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $236.00 to $246.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 21st. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price target on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from $214.00 to $210.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Royal Bank of Canada raised shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies from a “sector perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $242.00 to $250.00 in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Raymond James restated an “outperform” rating and set a $250.00 target price (up from $240.00) on shares of Marsh & McLennan Companies in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Marsh & McLennan Companies from $212.00 to $223.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $230.44.

Marsh & McLennan Companies Company Profile

Marsh & McLennan Cos., Inc is a professional services firm, which engages in offering clients advice and solutions in risk, strategy, and people. It operates through the Risk and Insurance Services, and Consulting segments. The Risk and Insurance Services segment is involved in risk management activities, as well as insurance and reinsurance broking and services.